The Roots And Elvis Costello Collaborate On New Album "Wise Up Ghost"

Published May 29, 2013

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After playing together for several performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Elvis Costello and current Late Night house band The Roots, decided to do an entire album together. Questlove told Billboard, "It was really love at first sight...The second time he came on, we surpassed the first one. So by the third time, he was like, 'Let's stop messing around and do something together.'"

The recordings were done at Feliz Habitat Studios, as well as at Costello's Hookery Crookery Studios. The collaboration proved to be a good one, as they were able to write and record 20 songs, from which they will choose the best 12 - 14 to be put on the album. The album was produced by Roots engineer Steven Mandel, with Questlove and Costello also co-producing.

Questlove described the album, saying, “It’s a moody, brooding affair, cathartic rhythms and dissonant lullabies.” While Costello described it as “the shortest distance between here and there,” and that it contains “both rhythm and what is read." What either of these really means is up to interpretation, but with The Roots and Elvis Costello, you know it's going to be good.

Check out Costello's interview with Fuse about Wise Up Ghost below.

Wise Up Ghost will be released on September 13 through Blue Note Records.

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